The Wasa Mana Amulet
by NeversideFaerie
Summary: When the Nekross come up with a crafty plan to bypass the shrouding spell, Tom embarks on a daring quest to foil their plans. Set mid series 2.
1. Chapter 1

Contains mild violence

Chapter One

Earth – the last planet in the universe still containing magic. For the magic-hungry Nekross, this was the one source of food left in existence, and it had to be taken advantage of.

Unfortunately, it was rather difficult to get their scaly hands on it since the wizard inhabitants were perfectly aware of their presence and had launched an appropriate defence mechanism: a "shrouding spell", which cloaked most forms of enchantment from their prying eyes.

If it wasn't for this foremost obstacle, then undoubtedly the Nekross would be feasting a lot more on the exquisite magic of Earth…

…

Lexi strutted onto the flight deck, smiling smugly.

"What has amused you, dear sister?" enquired Varg, turning away from his console.

"Nothing of the sort, brother Varg! I have completed a stratagem that will at last allow the Nekross to secure our rightful share of Earth's magic."

"And how will this be so, sister Lexi?" The prince's attention was directed to the workstation.

"I have uncovered a technique to defy the shrouding spell."

"_What!?_" Varg swung his head round.

Lexi smirked proudly. "I will explain my strategy before the king."

She strolled to the closed doors with the Nekross logo on it.

"Father – I request that you hear my strategy. It could put an end to the hindrance in the gathering of magic caused by the shrouding spell."

The doors slid open to reveal the enormous expanse of the king's grotesque face.

"Speak, Lexi!"

"The shrouding spell has long prevented us from locating sources of magic. However, if the scanners were recalibrated to detect the bodies of those who contain magic, we would no longer be obstructed by the cunning plans of Wizardkind."

"There is a fault in your design, dear sister," interrupted Varg, "Wizards and humans have no dissimilarities in their appearances. The scanners would not be able to register any differences."

Lexi ignored his cynicism. "Observe, brother…" She moved over to a computer and tapped several keys. Onto the screen appeared a full picture of a young woman with the head and torso of a human being, and a tail akin to that of a fish. "Located within Earth's few uncontaminated oceans reside the merfolk – humans crossed with water vertebrates. I will demonstrate the scanners in action as they probe Earth's oceans, hunting for such creatures."

A few taps later, the image of the mermaid was replaced by that of the Earth, and gradually small dots started appearing on it, until entire seas were obscured beneath them.

The prince's eyes grew wider and wider.

"With this amount of information on our hands, the Nekross shall truly feast on an abundance of magic with no-one to stop us – not even Tom Clarke!"

WIZARDS VS ALIENS

"The Hidden Amulet"

Tom Clarke was sat in the Chamber of Crowe, up to his ears in studying Stonescript, one of the trickiest of all instruction young wizards participated in.

"Tom!" called a familiar voice from behind him.

"It looks like it's your turn to save the day, Benny Sherwood – turning up just in time before I was about to face death at the hands of a mountain of homework…"

"Do you need any help?"

Tom held up a piece of parchment, covered in wonky squiggles.

"Not unless you're secretly fluent in the language of the ancient ones."

"Oh…"

Benny picked up Tom's textbook and examined it carefully.

"It's a bit like learning formulae," he observed, "You know each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet – but they're not written in the way you're used to writing them. Lots of people don't understand formulae because it's written in a way they're not used to reading."

"Very clever, Benzoid, - but how's that going to help me translate quotes from Shakespeare into a bunch of scribbles?"

"Will you be speaking of William Shakespeare, young master?" said Moon all of a sudden, appearing out of nowhere, "Randal Moon will have been meeting William Shakespeare many centuries ago in the forest of the fainey shee."

"You met William Shakespeare?" cried a startled Benny.

"Randal Moon will not be a-deceiving you, imp! William Shakespeare will have been interfering in the world of the fey, and Randal Moon will have been stopping his foolish prying, else he would have been turned into a pile of tangleweed by pesky faeries. Randal Moon will be a-sneezing at the thought of such creatures!"

_I know someone who met Shakespeare_, contemplated Benny in amazement. It was pretty tough to get your head round!

Moon picked up the skull that sat on the nearby table. "Alas, poor Yorick," he quoted, "Randal Moon will have been thinking Yorick should have never ventured forth onto the Netherside!"

Suddenly, Tom's attention was drawn to the scrying mirror, which was behaving very strangely.

"Who's that?" he exclaimed.

Upon the mirror had appeared the face of a woman, perhaps about forty or so, with light brown skin, slightly slanted eyes and black hair, which probably would have been about shoulder length if it wasn't for the fact that she seemed to be submerged and it was billowing around her head.

"Who are you?" asked Tom, getting up from his seat and striding toward the mirror.

"_Madeline Lim of the magical line of Barangan,_" replied the woman.

Tom felt a shiver run down his spine as he realised the woman hadn't actually opened her lips.

"What are you contacting us for?"

"_My young daughter…she has been taken by the monsters from beyond the stars._"

The lady had an accent Tom didn't recognise. He figured she must be from a far-away country that he did not often meet the inhabitants of.

"Where are you?"

"_Boracay. The Philippines._"

"And…I suppose you need us to help you?"

Tom realised the lady was probably aware who he was and how he had defeated the Nekross before on a number of occasions. It was pretty strange being famous sometimes!

"Should I get Mrs Crowe?" asked Benny.

Luckily, he didn't need to, as the mistress herself had already scurried into the Chamber.

"This can't be good!" she cried, "Did I hear you say that your daughter has been kidnapped by those…spiky-headed _monsters_?"

It was impossible for Madeline to cry underwater, but a hand flew to her eyes anyway.

"_Help me get my daughter back please, Mrs Crowe!_"

None of the onlookers made any reply but all of them were thinking the same thing – how could they possibly help this poor woman be reunited with her child?

…

Meanwhile on the Zarantulus, a Filipino girl of about 15 clad in a dark brown t-shirt and knee-length denim shorts was dragged onto the bridge by two guards, and dumped upon the floor.

Varg eyed her in disgust – partly because of his dislike for humans, and partly because of his annoyance at his sister's self-satisfaction.

Lexi stepped before the king. "Observe how this half-form has altered her appearance that she might blend in amongst humans when she is no longer submerged in water."

"Hayaan akong pumunta!" cried the petrified girl, tears streaming down her face.

"Silence, halfling! You are the first of many to feel the magic _sucked_ from their very bones."

"Hindi ko pa tapos kahit ano upang saktan ka!"

Lexi cackled at the girl's terror.

"It appears already my strategy has gone according to plan."

"Any strategy expressed in the presence of the king becomes _my plan_," her father reminded her sternly.

"I apologise, father," responded Lexi, hiding her irritation, "By means of _your_ strategy, we shall be able to scan for the bodies of an abundance of magical creatures without any obstruction from the shrouding spell."

_Scan for the __**bodies**_? thought Miss Lim curiously. She decided not to let the Nekross know she spoke English. It was possible they might reveal even more of their intriguing strategy.

"Prepare the extractor!" cried the king.

The girl was seized once more by the guards.

"Itigil ang ito, mangyaring!" she pleaded.

Lexi gave a horrid chuckle and strode to a nearby console, which had the picture of Earth on it, with a smaller picture of a mermaid in the corner.

"Each and every mark upon this map represents one more source of delicious magic that will soon be ours," she boasted to Varg.

The mermaid halfling examined the image. It looked as though the Nekross had managed to locate many of her people via…what had they said? Scanning for the _bodies_?

The merfolk were really in trouble…

"The Nekross shall truly feast!" said Varg with a cruel smirk.

The three royals cackled to their hearts' content as the poor young girl struggled in the clutches of the two henchmen.

…

Ursula rifled through the wisdom of Crowe.

"I haven't done a spell like this in years," she thought aloud.

In front of her was a piece of paper with the birthday, full name and some other details of Madeline's daughter. The enchantment they were about to use was akin to that used when they were trying to find Chloe Martin, but slightly different, as they knew roughly where to find the mermaid girl, and most certainly they didn't want to join her there!

Rather, they were going to try and contact her via the scrying mirror. Moon was scrambling around, grabbing ingredients from nearby shelves, whilst Ursula cast them into the cauldron, until the potion was complete.

"Wroth meeche shane dah!" she chanted, "Show me Angelica Lim, of the magical line of Barangan!"

…

_It's useless begging for mercy_, reasoned Angelica, hurriedly coming up with an ad hoc escape plan.

"Extract the magic!" shouted the king.

The guards were about to shove the girl into the machine, when without warning she whispered an incantation, and vanished before their very eyes!

"The prisoner has escaped!" cried Varg.

"There is no need to worry, brother," assured Lexi, "The shields are fully operational. She must remain somewhere on the ship."

"Find her!" Varg ordered the guards.

The princess was right – the mermaid had not transported herself off the Zarantulus, or at least not yet. She had used the passing charm to make it to the transporter room.

_How are you supposed to work this thing? _she worried, terrified of pressing anything in case she made a mistake.

Just as she was starting to panic, upon a nearby screen unexpectedly appeared an image of a young man about her own age, with dark brown hair formed into a sort of quiff, wearing a red polo shirt.

"Angelica?" he called, "This is Tom Clarke of the magical line of Crowe. Your mum said you got taken by the Nekross."

"Tom Clarke?" Angelica instantly recognised this as the name of the warrior wizard who had conquered the Nekross before on a number of occasions. "How do I beam myself down?!" She kept turning her head round frantically to see if anyone had entered the room.

Benny came to her rescue. "You see that panel in front of you? Try pressing the symbol that looks like the logo on the Nekross' chests."

_What logo?_ Angelica desperately tried to remember what uniforms her captors had been wearing.

Benny figured out what she was thinking. "Look! I'll show you."

He grabbed a piece of parchment and scrawled a drawing of the Nekross emblem upon it with a nearby quill pen. He held it up for Angelica's reference.

The mermaid could hear footsteps coming down the corridor.

_Where is that symbol? _she fretted_. _All the keys on the panel looked the same!

The footsteps were drawing nearer. She would have to act fast!

Finally, she caught sight of a key that matched Benny's sketch. The doors to the transporter area swung open – right before Angelica vanished into thin air.

"There is no escape, mermaid half-form!" bellowed Varg, before discovering his statement was rather inaccurate.

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?_" he exploded.

There was no trace of the girl anywhere!

However, there did seem to be _someone_ on a nearby computer screen that he knew all too well…

"Tom Clarke!" he shouted, "How dare you defy the might of Nekron with your wizard trickery!"

"I'm afraid it wasn't wizard trickery this time, Varg."

…

Madeline Lim became aware of a strange blue light spontaneously appearing behind her. She turned, and her face transformed into a massive smile.

There beside her was Angelica – still in human form, but gradually changing back into her mermaid shape due to the presence of water all around her.

She grabbed her daughter in a tight embrace, and would have wept with joy if it wasn't for the fact she was already submerged.

Realising she should thank the wizards who had helped her, she held up the enchanted hand mirror she had been using to communicate with them earlier and an image of the Chamber of Crowe re-materialised upon it.

…

Varg's face faded from the looking glass, and once again Tom could see that of Madeline, this time with part of Angelica's head in the picture.

"Well done, Benny!" cried Mrs Crowe, seeing the transporter had worked, "You're a genius!"

"_How can I ever repay you?_" said Mrs Lim.

"_Wait!_" Angelica snatched the hand mirror. "_There's something I need to tell you. While I was on the ship, I heard the aliens talking about a plan they had to scan for the bodies of magical creatures – like mermaids. Remember the shrouding spell stops them from finding magic. I think they have found another way of finding it!"_

"What?" exclaimed Tom.

"I do not understand…" said Ursula, her tone dropping to a low volume.

"You're mermaids…" Benny considered, "Unlike wizards, you don't look exactly like humans. If the Nekross have programmed their scanners to find your shape, then they won't be stopped by the shrouding spell."

Madeline's hand flew to her mouth.

"If the Nekross have discovered how to find you," observed Tom, "Then every mermaid on Earth is in danger…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Ursula was up late into the night, sending out a warning to merfolk all over the globe to stay in human form, which as you can imagine was a massive task, even with the aid of enchanted mirrors. At midnight she came into Tom's bedroom to tell him how things had gone.

"Thomas?" she whispered, "Are you awake?"

Her grandson stirred and groaned, turning over in his duvet.

"Yes, Gran," he replied hoarsely, "I'm awake."

Ursula sat on the side of his bed. "I managed to spread the message to as many merfolk as I could. That's all we can do for now."

Tom sat up slowly. "If the Nekross are able to find mermaids just by scanning for their bodies, doesn't that mean they'll be able to find other magical creatures, like hobgoblins?"

"It doesn't bear thinking about!" She paused for contemplation. "If the merfolk are unable to enter the deep, they won't be able to care for sick animals or clean litter off the ocean floor. This could have serious consequences for both the magical _and_ the human worlds." She set her feet back on the floor. "But never mind about that now, Thomas! You need a good night's sleep."

She squeezed his hand, and left the room, leaving the young wizard to ponder what she had just said.

The wizards were at war, and had been for some time, but now mermaids had come into the equation. He needed to stop this threat – surely to goodness there was a way he could hide the merfolk from the Nekross scanners. But how…?

…

This subject weighed on Tom and Benny's minds throughout school, and when they both entered Tom's home after it had finished, Granny, who was cleaning the work surface, could tell what they were discussing as soon as they walked through the door.

"What we need is some sort of spell that can stop the Nekross scanners from being able to tell humans and mermaids apart," suggested Benny.

"I don't think there is such a spell," responded Tom.

"What about a spell that would hide them from the scanners? Like the shrouding spell, only it would hide their mermaid forms."

"It's not as easy as that! We hardly know anything about Nekross technology."

"Wait a minute, Benny," interrupted Ursula, "What did you just say?"

"A spell that hides the mermaids' bodies from the scanners."

Mrs Crowe beamed and scurried into the hallway, followed by the two curious boys.

"Could somebody please first explain this to me?" asked Tom, "Can you really create a spell that will hide the merfolk from the Nekross?"

"I'm not sure," replied Gran, "But I'll _certainly_ have a go!" She banged her staff twice on the toilet door. "Chamber of Crowe, open to me - reveal yourself on the knock of three!" _Tap!_

She opened the door, and Tom and Benny were again able to see the passage that led to the Chamber of mysteries.

Once inside the main cavern, Granny hurried to the Wisdom of Crowe.

"Why will you be hastening your step, Mistress Crowe?" enquired Moon.

"Benny might be onto something," Ursula explained, "He suggested that we create a spell that will hide the merfolk's forms from the scanners." She flicked speedily through the volume.

"Slow down, Gran!" advised Thomas.

It was then Madeline's face sprang upon the scrying mirror. Benny, who noticed it first, nudged his friend.

"Tom Clarke," Mrs Lim addressed him, this time moving her mouth, for she was no longer underwater. Angelica could be seen in the background, seated upon a stool.

"What is it this time, Madeline?"

"The high council of merfolk have been discussing our current threat. They are suggesting we take action."

"And…what sort of action are they suggesting?"

"Warfare. They want to destroy the Nekross."

Mrs Crowe gasped and dashed over to the mirror.

"We have got to stop this!" she cried, "We cannot abandon our principles, even at a time like this!"

Madeline nodded steadily. "Some of the council disagree with this plan. They say we should find a way to peacefully settle the matter." She held up an object. "One of the senators gave me this."

Granny examined the item. It was some sort of necklace with a golden talisman on the end in the shape of a fish.

"What is it?" she breathed.

"This is a key to the Wasa Mana amulet of the Fijian archipelago. It is our only hope."

Moon was also studying the necklace. "Randal Moon will be a banshee's uncle! You will be speaking of a charm that controls the very powers of the merfolk."

"The senator suggested that if a powerful glamour was fused into the amulet, it would shroud the merfolk from being found by the Nekross."

"Sorry about earlier, Benny," apologised a shamefaced Tom.

…

Meanwhile, the sudden disappearance of mer-people from Lexi's map had not gone unnoticed.

Already, the Nekross had extracted the magic from twenty of them, and had been set to kidnap many more, but overnight the picture of Earth had gone from being buried beneath dots to barely having any at all.

There was only one explanation they could think of for this – the mermaid halfling who had escaped earlier had alerted the rest of her kind of their attack mode, and now they had all gone into hiding.

Lexi and Varg captured the rest of the traceable merfolk as fast as they could, but even as they did so, more dots faded from the screen.

Eventually, Lexi concluded their strategy was no longer going to be a hunt but a siege – they would sit and wait for when their prey _had_ to change back into their undersea forms. It was all a matter of time…

…

Michael Clarke stepped into the Chamber, having wondered where the rest of his family had vanished too, to find Granny stooped over a bubbling cauldron with Moon, with Tom and Benny standing beside the nearby table.

"More griffin feathers please, Moon!" instructed Gran.

"What are you making today, Ursula?" Michael asked casually.

"A powerful glamour potion that will hide the merfolk from those _ghastly_ spine-headed monsters, once and for all! If we release it into the Wasa Mana amulet of the Fijian archipelago, the merfolk will _never_ be troubled by them again." She tossed a sprinkle of herbs into the pot. "There! It's ready!" Her voice turned serious. "The necklace, please."

Madeline held up the trinket and whispered an incantation. Fiery magic writhed around it as the spell began to culminate. She shouted one last magic word and tossed the talisman into her personal looking glass.

The scrying mirror gave a tremendous flash, and the necklace flew onto the Chamber's floor. Benny picked it up; scarcely able to believe it had been halfway across the world two seconds ago. He handed it to the Mistress, who was fixing on a wizard cloak.

"Thank you, Benny." She held it high above her head. "Ray meesche kooth dah! Protect the merfolk of the planet Earth from the prying eyes of the Nekross! Eesch meek zan DAH!"

A billow of smoke exploded from the cauldron.

Tom, Dad and Benny coughed and choked, fanning away the fumes.

"I hope that did it, Ursula!" spluttered Michael, as the gas dissipated.

"I do believe I got it right!" squealed Mrs Crowe excitedly.

Moon ladled the mixture into a small bottle.

"How exactly are you going to release the potion into the necklace?" enquired Dad, "Is it…bigger on the inside than the outside?" There seemed to be an awful lot of liquid!

"Oh no, Michael! The necklace isn't the amulet. It will be used to help _find_ the amulet, which is hidden somewhere in the Fijian archipelago."

"What!? You're not telling me someone's going to Fiji! _Ursula…_"

"Michael, please! We have got to try."

"Pass me the potion and the necklace," said Madeline, "I will use a passing charm to go to the Fijian archipelago."

"No, Madeline, you can't!" cried Granny, "If you turn yourself back into a mermaid, the Nekross will find you immediately."

"Then who else will take the potion?"

There was silence.

"I will," spoke up Tom.

"You can't, Thomas…" whispered Mrs Crowe.

"I will take the potion, Madeline."

"Thomas, please!" Ursula pulled him away from the mirror for a private chat. "Do you realise what you are doing?"

"Gran. I know this mission might be dangerous and challenging, but how is that any different to the war we're already fighting against the Nekross?"

"But Thomas – you hardly know anything about what might be waiting in the Fijian archipelago."

"I've got to try."

"My brave, brave boy!" The Mistress gave him a loving embrace. "Do be careful, Thomas! You do not know what monsters of the deep you may come across. Giant man-eating sharks or hungry kraken or vicious sea serpents or-"

"Excuse me, Ursula," interrupted Madeline, "There will be nothing of the sort. The Fijian archipelago is a coral reef."

There was a pause.

"Oh!" exclaimed Granny, a little sheepish at her mistake, "Thomas? Would you go and get changed, dear?"

…

Gran had just finished concocting an underwater-breathing potion when Tom sauntered back into the Chamber, wearing a white t-shirt and brown swimming trunks, carrying a pair of flippers and some goggles from his snorkelling kit.

"You won't need these." Ursula removed the goggles from his hand. "The potion will enable you to see underwater clearly." She passed him the flask it was in.

"How does the potion…work?" probed Benny, "If it makes you breathe underwater, doesn't that mean you need gills?"

"Oh no, Benny," explained Mrs Crowe, "It will transform young Thomas' lungs so they use water instead of oxygen."

"Well, that's good," interrupted Dad, "I'm not exactly sure I want a half-fish for a son."

Tom chuckled. He then wolfed down the liquid, and nearly gagged.

"What did you put in this thing!?"

"Seaweed, mostly," responded Granny.

Tom winced, and wished he hadn't asked. He set the container back on the table.

"Randal Moon will now be performing the passing charm," announced Moon.

Tom picked up the glamour potion and the necklace, which he hung round his neck. He inserted the potion into one of his pockets, and zipped it tightly.

Whilst he attached his flippers, Moon began chanting strange and unusual words from the world of the ancient ones. Thomas had just finished putting on his footwear when the hobgoblin completed the spell, and a burst of fiery magic shrouded him.

"Good luck, son," was the last thing he heard his dad saying, before his surroundings disappeared.

…

For a few seconds, Tom struggled to register just where he was.

He moved his head around, taking note of his surroundings. If it wasn't for the fact he was already cautiously holding his breath, it would have most certainly been stolen from him.

He was encircled by a shoal of tiny silver fish, which were swimming through beautifully clean, blue water. Below him was a bed of soft, pale sand and not even a metre away was a coral-encrusted outcrop, with many colourful creatures floating around it.

Tom soon realised he couldn't hold his breath for much longer. He let it out slowly, bubble by bubble, until eventually his lungs were empty.

He would soon have to take his first breath underwater.

Tom hesitated for two more seconds, and then inhaled the warm liquid.

It was a very strange sensation, finding that rather than choking on the fluid he had drawn in, it actually felt rather natural.

His lungs grew heavy as they filled with seawater, but before long it became more comfortable. He was no longer just a teenage boy deposited in an ocean - he was part of the water, breathing it and using it inside his body. He began to wonder whether this was what mermaids felt like each time they ventured beneath the waves.

Right! On with the mission…

Granny had told him that the necklace would lead him to the amulet, although wherever that could possibly be concealed he had no idea. He took a glimpse at the golden fish, hoping it might give some sort of clue. Did it have an inscription? Any symbols? Did it light up if you went near the amulet? As far as he could see, it was just like an ordinary piece of jewellery!

Tom had just started wondering whether he should somehow contact Gran and ask her for advice, when something very strange happened.

"Tom?"

Was that a voice?

He tried to reply, but his words got lost in the water.

Was the necklace communicating with him? He studied the fish again, hoping the voice would come back.

"Tom?"

_How am I meant to talk to this thing?_ thought the wizard.

"Tom, it's me – Angelica!"

_Angelica?_

Tom swivelled his head round to see the mermaid girl hovering a few metres away from him.

_What?_ he mouthed. How come he could hear her underwater?

Never mind that, what was she doing here?!

"Under the waves, we communicate by thoughts," explained Angelica, her lips sealed and smiling.

For a second Tom was surprised how she knew he'd been wondering about that, but then realised he didn't need to…

"Hold on a minute…" thought Thomas, "You can read my thoughts? All of them?!"

"Not all of them. Just the ones that form into sentences."

Angelica glided forward, her aquamarine tail glistening as it caught the light. Her long black hair was tied into a single plait so it wouldn't become irrevocably tangled, and she was wearing a dark brown nylon halter-neck top.

"I thought you might need some help finding the amulet."

"Oh…yeah…about that…" Suddenly, he remembered in horror something Granny had said earlier. "Wait a minute…"

The girl stared at him.

"Angelica! Listen to me. If you remain in mermaid form, the Nekross are going to find you in two seconds."

"It is a risk I am willing to take."

"No, Angelica! You've got to turn back. Just think – every single mermaid in the world is in human form, **except you**!"

It was then Tom heard a horribly familiar chuckle.

"Varg!"

Sure enough, a few metres away from him hovered the prince, clad in a Nekross diving suit, pointing a gun at their heads. He had the same armour on his shoulders, chest and stomach, but underneath he appeared to be wearing some kind of blue dry-suit. An oxygen tank akin to those used by humans was strapped to his back and his feet were encased in a pair of flippers.

He had on a clear plastic mask which not only showed as much of his face as possible but allowed him to talk; else he wouldn't have been able to say, "We meet again, Tom Clarke – enemy of Nekron! At last the Nekross shall feast on your exquisite magic. Prepare to breathe your last, wizard half-form!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

"RUN!" shouted Tom Clarke, before realising the word he should have yelled was 'swim'.

Angelica took off over the reef, with Tom pursuing her to the best of his ability. Mermaids were seriously fast swimmers!

"There is no escape, wizard half-form!" bellowed Varg, perhaps this time correct. A coral reef wasn't exactly a good place for a game of hide and seek if you were the size of a human or a mermaid.

Varg chased the pair over the bed of colourful plants, past exotic fish and around rock faces. Tom grabbed Angelica's hand.

"We've got to lose him!" he told the mermaid, "Isn't there anywhere we can hide?"

Angelica scoured everywhere she could see. If Tom hadn't been so frightened, he would have been truly amazed by the sights. Below him were dazzling corals in every colour of the rainbow and around him swam fish that once he could have only beheld in a library book. It was unbelievable just how many there were! Surely there must be hundreds within viewing distance. He tried to keep away from the corals in case they were poisonous but occasionally he felt them graze his arm. Ouch! He had no idea they were that hard.

"Over there!" Angelica pointed to a thick shoal of tiny silver fish. They both plunged straight into it.

Varg noticed them disappear into the cluster, and he dove in after them. Angelica yanked Tom out, and they swam away as fast as their legs could carry them – or tail, in Angelica's case. By the time the prince had figured they weren't hiding in the shoal, they were long gone.

He floated nearer the surface to get a better look at the coral landscape, but his prey were nowhere in sight.

"Varg to Zarantulus," he said into his gauntlet, "The mermaid half-form has fled beyond my reaches. I will need assistance if I am to locate her."

"Understood," responded a female voice.

A few seconds later, there was a tremendous SPLASH! above his head as Lexi plummeted into the water, having promptly beamed off the ship.

"How is it that you arrived so quickly, dear sister?" asked a startled Varg, suspicious as to whether she had for some reason already been wearing her diving gear before he contacted her.

"A warrior is always vigilant, brother," responded the princess, checking her mask was on properly. She glanced at her arm-piece. "My oxygen supply is functioning perfectly."

"Before we attempt to form a strategy that will outwit the mermaid half-form, I need to warn you - she is accompanied by none other than Tom Clarke."

"The halfling wizard? For what purpose has he ventured into the Fijian Archipelago?" Gradually, an idea formed in Lexi's head. "The mermaid half-form must have alerted him of our strategy. Perhaps he is carrying out his own stratagem against us."

"In what way, sister?"

The princess keyed some words into her gauntlet. "According to my device, the Fijian Archipelago is a coral reef – home to many rare and exotic creatures. It is also rumoured to be the hiding place of a magical Wasa Mana amulet thought to control the powers of the merfolk…" Her eyes widened, and she gave a wicked smile as a plan materialised in her mind. "If we were to find the amulet before the wizard half-form, then the Nekross would feast on a wealth of delicious magic. Just think, brother! We have at our fingertips the key to the magic of every mermaid in the world!"

Varg chuckled darkly. "The wizard half-form must be trying to locate this object. If we were to pursue him, he will lead us straight to the amulet. Then we will beam him onto to the Zarantulus, and at last I shall witness the magic being ripped from his very bones."

Lexi gave a horrid cackle. What a marvellous trick they were about to try!

…

"Angelica?"

Tom and his accomplice were lying on their stomachs, hidden behind a tall rock face. He wasn't sure, but it seemed as though they had gone deeper underwater than where they started.

"What is it?"

"Do you know how to find the amulet? We've got to move fast, before Varg comes back."

Angelica reached over, and unclasped the necklace. She studied it carefully in her hands before fastening around her own neck.

"I am not certain. We should explore the reef, looking for signs."

"Wait! Angelica, you don't think my potion is going to wear off soon, do you?"

Tom regretted he hadn't asked Gran about this before he charged off on his mission.

"Not unless you plan to stay down here for days!"

The mermaid floated upwards and checked to see whether the coast was clear. She beckoned to Tom, who followed.

"It _is_ going to take days to search the entire reef. Isn't there any…magical charm you can use to help us?"

Angelica held up the necklace. She closed her eyes and listened very intently.

"What are you doing?" asked Tom.

She signalled for him to be quiet.

Then, softly, she heard a voice – not a human voice, neither a mermaid voice. It was a voice that could only be heard by the very heart itself.

"_Turn left._"

"We are to turn left," instructed Angelica, opening her eyes.

Tom obeyed, curious as to where she had got this info from, but not wanting to question it.

…

"Are you certain this is such a good idea, dear sister?" enquired Varg apprehensively.

The princess was programming the form-filter to a…specific design.

"If indeed we are to monitor the wizard half-form without being noticed, it is required we fashion ourselves suitable disguises."

She finished adjusting her brother's collar, and activated it. Varg morphed before her very eyes into a large, menacing shark. Any passer-by could have been fooled by the crafty illusion.

"And what of you, sister Lexi?" asked the shark, not moving its jaws.

Lexi fiddled with her own choker. She pressed the knob, and instantly transformed into a friendly-looking dolphin.

"The wizard halfling will be completely unaware of our strategy. We may pursue him as we wish without the hazard of being noticed."

"You are hasty, dear sister. If we are not cautious in our tactics, we could be at risk of exposure."

"There is no need to worry, brother Varg. We will keep our distance from the targets until we are ready to extract their magic, and then the Nekross shall truly feast on the magic of our greatest enemy…"

…

Angelica directed Tom all over the reef, always keeping an eye out for a yellow scaly diver that could be around any corner. Though the wizard was certain his friend knew what she was doing, he couldn't help but wonder just how long it would take to reach wherever she was after.

Whilst he was contemplating, somewhere at the back of his mind formed small, indistinct whispers, all jumbled together, as though several voices were talking to him at the same time. What could it mean?

"Wait a minute," Tom nudged the mermaid, "I can hear something."

Angelica stopped. She could hear it too, but it didn't sound like the talisman. Being a mermaid, she was perfectly aware of what they were listening to, and she realised they had to act fast.

"Hiding place. Now."

She grabbed his arm and wrenched him into an alcove between two outcrops.

All the while the voices grew louder and louder, until Tom twigged they must be the thoughts of others.

Angelica peeked over the rock quickly to see what was approaching them. About ten metres away was a team of divers, thankfully human, probably observing the coral or something along those lines as they were carrying underwater writing pads. She ducked back down again before they caught sight of her.

"I need to cast a glamour. There are a group of divers heading toward us. If they are to see us, the spell will make them believe we are wearing underwater breathing equipment."

She closed her eyes and whispered an incantation. _Snap! _

Tom blinked. Nothing seemed to have changed about Angelica's appearance.

"I don't see anything different!"

"It's only supposed to work on humans, silly!" His friend rolled her eyes. "Come on!" She pulled him upward before he could breathe.

Tom surreptitiously checked to see whether the divers had noticed anything out of the ordinary as he got yanked back onto the course.

Now he was not so frightened of being pursued, he took time to observe the scenery below him. Upon the seabed was a vibrant hotchpotch of corals and plants, ranging from mundane browns to wild orange. It was as though he had fallen into an aquarium!

They swam through an archway encircled by tiny mauve fish. Occasionally, the light would catch the water at just the right time, and Tom would see ripples appear on the sand. How he wished Benny could see that! When he got home, he was going to have to tell his friend all about his adventures.

Suddenly, he caught sight of something truly amazing about ten metres away from them.

"Excuse me," he said to Angelica and swam over to see whether he really had just spotted what he thought he had.

Floating above a soft bed of sand was a large dolphin.

"Whoa…" he whispered, "I was never expecting this."

The creature did not swim away from him in fear or jump around playfully. Rather, it stood still and looked at him inquisitively. Tom reached out to touch its face. Dolphins were harmless, weren't they?

The animal did not protest. As Tom stroked its nose, he found its skin to be smooth, perhaps even rubbery, sort of like a silicone oven mitt. In fact, it started making chirping sounds. Maybe that meant it was happy.

Meanwhile, beneath her disguise, Lexi could sometimes feel Tom's hand gently rubbing her head when her mask didn't get in the way. Actually, it felt kind of nice.

She was glad she had decided to be a dolphin and not another shark. According to her research, most humans had an irrational fear of sharks, possibly including the wizard half-form who was now fondly massaging her face.

Maybe she wouldn't beam him onto the Zarantulus just yet…

Tom smiled. Benny was going to be so thrilled when he told him about _this_.

"_Move away from her, Thomas Robert Clarke._"

What? Who was that?!

How did he know his name?

"Who are you?" asked the wizard, but there was no-one in sight.

_I must have imagined it_, he thought. Later on, he sheepishly realised that those were rather famous last words.

"_Beware the illusion!_"

Surely he couldn't be hearing things! There was something fishy going on, and he had to get to the bottom of it.

Hang on a minute! He never had actually found out in what way the necklace directed Angelica. Earlier on, he had suspected it might be through a voice of some sort. Was this it now…?

He removed his hand from the dolphin's face cautiously. Whatever the "illusion" was, he didn't want to find out what it was the hard way!

Having let herself be stroked to her heart's content, Lexi decided it was time for the halfling to meet his fate.

Tom's eyes widened in horror as the gentle dolphin all of a sudden morphed into none other than the Princess of Nekron. She lifted up her head and cackled when she saw his petrified expression. Before long, the Nekross would finally feast on his delicious magic!

"You have got to be kidding me," whispered Thomas, as she tilted herself upward.

"Such a tender touch, Tom Clarke," said Lexi, raising her hand to the part of her head he had caressed, "I hate to have to consign you to a magic extraction." She tapped her gauntlet. "Lexi to Varg. I have the wizard halfling in my possession."

Tom zoomed away as fast as his legs could carry him. The princess immediately pursued, and they plunged into a desperate chase. Thomas thrashed his arms furiously, determined to always keep his flippers just out of his enemy's reach.

Lexi's eye was on the target – the very second he began to run out of energy he was hers for the taking…

Tom dived over a large outcrop. Lexi threw herself after him, expecting to grapple him by the legs in a terrific battle, only to find he had inexplicably vanished.

Where could he have possibly got to? She scanned her surroundings, keeping a sharp lookout for any sign of him.

After five minutes of fruitless scrutinizing, she started to wonder whether he'd cast a passing charm and had transported himself to another part of the reef. Still, it couldn't hurt for her to prod the corals, just in case…

It was then she caught sight of a large thicket of seaweed blocking part of a rock face. She swiped it away, only to discover that there was a cavity concealed behind it.

"You are not getting away that easily, Tom Clarke," said Lexi under her breath, hovering near the opening. She switched the lights on in her mask and ventured into the darkness.

The water was much cooler and murkier inside the cavern and she had to turn on her gauntlet's torch before she could see where she was going. How had the wizard halfling possibly managed to get anywhere in this pitch-black labyrinth?

She moved her arm-piece around, looking for any clue as to where her prey had got to. The floor was buried beneath sponges and there were several pillars of vegetated rock just waiting for someone to crash into. In fact, it looked as though someone _had_ actually collided into one of the rocks – a large amount of foliage appeared to have been scraped right off it. Perhaps this was a clue…

Meanwhile, Tom had swum right the way through the tunnel and located the exit…which also happened to be half the size of the entrance.

_Great! I'm never going to fit through that, _he thought in frustration.

He stuck his hand through the gap, using the other one to filter his nose of the thick amount of dissolved particles in the water, and found that parts of the rocks obstructing him were loose. He heaved them with all his might until the hole was sufficiently enlarged, and squeezed his way out of the cave.

The moment he had made it through the breach he swam up toward to the surface and took a deep breath of the clean water, trying to get his bearings back before he started swimming again. He hadn't been underwater for half an hour and already he was completely exhausted! How did Angelica cope with life as a mermaid?

Speaking of Angelica, where was she? He could hardly believe he'd been stupid enough earlier to abandon her just so he could have a look at some dolphin, which also happened to be his worst enemy in disguise! Was she going to have to find the amulet without him? Could he possibly find her again?

In actual fact, it seemed he was well and truly lost. The reef below him didn't look familiar, and there was obviously no sign of his friend anywhere. Where had that tunnel taken him…?

Suddenly, a gloved hand seized his leg. Tom's head jerked downward to see Princess Lexi holding him in a grip of iron.

"You are mine, Tom Clarke!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

They remained stationary for about a minute as the princess tried to get her breath back. It appeared even her superior Nekross strength was no match for the Fijian Archipelago!

Tom tried to wriggle free but this made her grasp him even more firmly.

"You are foolish to think you can escape, wizard half-form!" Tom thrashed harder, pulling Lexi along with him. "The Nekross shall feast on your delicious magic!" Lexi was struggling to hold onto him. Tom fought aggressively to free himself, and accidentally whacked her in the face with one of his flippers. "OH!" She abruptly let go of him.

Tom propelled himself away from her as fast as he could. He had made it over several beds of coral before he suddenly visualized her clutching her face in agony.

What?! He couldn't go back to see whether she was OK! She would beam him back to the Zarantulus! He had to keep swimming…

Tom paused. Who was he kidding?

He swam back to where he had left Lexi. She was seated on a sandy bed, her hand pressed to the right side of her jaw and her face stricken with pain.

"Are you all right, Lexi?" he asked.

The princess didn't reply. Tom noticed a faint hue of red dissolving around her fingers. He swam up toward her, and eased away her hand. He winced as he saw a terrible gash on her chin.

"Whoa!"

How had that happened?

He eyed his flippers disconcertedly, wondering what could have turned them into lethal weapons, and lifted his leg up to inspect the blade…which was a more than accurate description of it. How the manufacturers had got away with making it so sharp he had no idea!

The flippers were the cheap variety that could be bought in a seaside shop, which possibly explained the flaw in design. Tom had only wanted them for messing about on the beach. He hadn't intended for them to be involved in mortal combat!

"Now you discover that Nekross skin is not always tough enough to withstand any blow," said the princess, "How does it feel to draw my blood for the first time, Tom Clarke?"

"Look, I'm sorry, Lexi! I didn't exactly mean to hit you in the face!"

"There is no need to apologise. It is only a wound – a wound that will heal with time, as with all other injuries." Without warning, she grabbed Tom's arm. "It is almost a shame that I will not repay your kindness. Say goodbye to earth, Tom Clarke."

"You are making a big mistake, Lexi."

"My actions are not negotiable. My people are hungry, and I must bring them food."

It was then Tom became aware of small voices whispering in the back of his mind.

"Lexi…can you hear that?"

"I am not in the mood to play games-" Suddenly, her tentacles started squirming. She could hear it too. "What…is this noise?"

"The thoughts of other divers. They must be coming toward us. Hide yourself, Lexi!"

The princess held her head. "How can I hear them?" She swam behind a boulder.

"I don't know," hissed Thomas, "Angelica said that underwater we communicate by thoughts…I suppose that makes sense if you're a mermaid."

That didn't answer his question. It seemed Lexi, and also Varg if he remembered correctly, also could read his mind. Was this something to do with the fact they ate magic?

Never mind that! The diving squad was approaching fast. What was he going to do if they caught sight of the snake-headed alien sat at his feet?

"What I would like to know is how a human can possibly breathe underwater. As far as I can remember, you are not amphibious creatures."

Tom smiled. "It's magic, Lexi. Gran gave me a potion." Abruptly, he caught sight of the form filter. "Wait a minute, Lexi! You disguised yourself as a dolphin earlier. If you switched your necklace on again, the divers wouldn't give you a second thought."

The word "necklace" painfully brought his earlier mistakes back to mind.

"And what of you, Tom Clarke? A human breathing underwater will not go unnoticed for long." The princess pressed the knob on her choker.

"Angelica cast a glamour over me. There's no need to worry."

Lexi transformed back into her dolphin guise and tilted herself forward so she was swimming the right way up.

Tom couldn't resist giving her head a stroke. The princess grinned as she felt his soothing hand rubbing the back of her skull, knowing that he couldn't see.

The diving team were not far away now. One of the divers was watching Tom intently, fascinated that he had got so friendly with the dolphin. Tom gave them a quick wave, patted Lexi one last time and swam away from her at top speed, whilst the diver approached the secretly infuriated dolphin.

…

Tom knew he was hopeless.

If Benny had been nearby, he would have stated that the probability of Tom running into Angelica again was pretty remote, considering the fact he was in the middle of an exotic coral reef that he'd obviously never been to before in his life.

He'd escaped from an alien spaceship multiple times. He'd fought a house full of monsters with razor-sharp teeth. He'd frustrated the plans of a scheming millionaire, stopped a cloning facility, managed to protect one hundred wizards from a giant extractor and outwitted a naughty hobbledehoy. How was he going to get out of his latest challenge?

In each and every adventure he had experienced before, there had always been someone nearby to help him – Benny, his dad, his gran, Randal Moon, other wizards, even Princess Lexi at one point. There was no such luxury this time. He was all on his own now.

Or was he?

As Tom was contemplating his fate, he hadn't noticed several strange golden patterns appearing in the sand, there and again. It wasn't until the squiggles started glowing, gradually becoming brighter and brighter, that his attention was abruptly grabbed.

In fact, they weren't just meaningless scribbles – they were sentences in Stonescript. For the first time in his life, Tom felt grateful he had persevered with all the tedious lessons in the agonizingly incomprehensible language. He could see clearly that it was the same phrase repeated over and over – "_Behold the amulet._"

Behold the amulet? A ray of hope sprang into Tom's mind. Did that mean the amulet was _near_…?

The sentence was cropping up on everything now – the rocks, the corals, the _fish_ even. It dawned on Tom that the water seemed darker than it was when he landed in it. Maybe this was due to the fact it was getting later in the day (_What is the time in Fiji, anyway?_ he wondered), or perhaps he was going deeper underwater. He looked toward the surface. The light shining through the top of the water seemed much further away now.

So sooner had he turned his head downward again did he notice that all the scribbles had vanished.

That was just strange. Why had they appeared in the first place?

Tom swam a bit further. He could see another glow coming from a nearby rock. As he drew closer, he saw on it too was an inscription, only this time it read, "_Enter the cavern._"

"Enter the cavern?" mused Tom, looking to see if there was another seaweedy tuft anywhere masking a cave entrance.

Then, the ground started rumbling. He settled his foot down briefly to steady himself, only to be thrown back upward.

Where was the shockwave coming from? Did Fiji happen to be near a fault line? If so, did that mean that the tremors he could feel were the result of an _earthquake?!_

Before he could deliberate this further, a glowing line split across the sand beneath him. He shielded his eyes from the intense light. It grew stronger and stronger until all of a sudden there was a blinding flash.

Tom moved his hand away from his face slowly.

There before him had appeared a large chasm, akin to the one he had swum through earlier, but he could feel the tingle of magic coming from somewhere deep inside.

The writing had said that the amulet was nearby. Did that mean it was somewhere in here?

Tom braved his way into the cavity, afraid to move forward in case he bashed into a rock like he did earlier. It was even gloomier in this cave than the other – he couldn't see where the floor was! How was he ever going to locate the amulet at this rate?

No, wait! He could see the floor – just about. His eyes must have adjusted to the darkness. However, why exactly was it starting to glow _blue?_

It was then Tom realised that his eyes weren't alone responsible for the fact he could see the sandy carpet beneath him. A patch of the floor had turned luminous.

Snakes of electric blue light drifted from the beacon, gradually forming a shape. Tom could sense the magic radiating from the materializing object. Before long, the light had fashioned itself into a polished white podium, and placed on the top was a larger, more intricately detailed fish akin to the charm on the necklace.

The amulet! This must be the Wasa Mana amulet!

"It's beautiful," he whispered, fishing around in his pocket for the vial of Gran's potion. With it clasped between his fingers, he drifted toward the amulet, marvelling at its mysterious beauty. On the other hand, how was he going to fuse the potion into it? The moment he opened the capsule, it would dissolve into the surrounding water. Was there an opening anywhere he could feed it through?

"_Thomas Robert Clarke,_" said a voice identical to the mysterious one he'd heard earlier, "_Beware the princess!_"

"Not again," groaned the wizard.

He turned around to come face to face with none other than Lexi, who gave a triumphant cackle at the sight of the amulet.

"Father will be pleased! Not only do I have in my possession an amulet filled to the brim with _exquisite_ magic but the wizard half-form, who has unknowingly directed me right into its location."

Tom cringed. "I knew this would happen."

"I congratulate you, Tom Clarke. In consequence of your negligence, the Nekross shall feast upon the magic of the Wasa Mana amulet."

Tom knew he had to act fast…or at least he would have to act fast when he figured out what the heck he was supposed to do in this situation. If he tried to empty the potion into the amulet, he still wouldn't be able to stop Lexi taking it back to the ship, alongside himself…unless, of course, he stopped her.

By what means? He didn't want to hurt her. He caught sight of the wound on her chin which he had given her earlier and knew that he could never fight her again.

"Listen to me, Lexi," reasoned Tom, "Angelica's people are going to die if you don't let me do this."

The princess laughed cruelly.

"We all die eventually, Tom Clarke – including you. When I have transported you onto to the Zarantulus, the king has…" She trailed off.

For a moment Tom wondered just what had happened.

Lexi shut her eyes and opened them again firmly.

"Back on Nekron, the king…"

Her eyelids drooped and eventually closed.

"Lexi?"

Tom swam over to see what was the matter.

"Do not worry, Tom," said a familiar voice, "I turned some of the air in her tank into sleeping gas."

About ten metres away from him was Angelica.

"How did you find me?!" exclaimed Tom.

"How did _you_ find the amulet?"

Before Tom could explain, Angelica's necklace started glowing.

"_Make haste. Use the potion._"

This time, they could both hear the voice.

"Was that the necklace?" asked Tom.

"Certainly. We must do as it says."

Tom took hold of Lexi's arm and settled her on the sandy bed, before floating over to the podium. Angelica was marvelling at the sight of the amulet.

"It's amazing…" she breathed, "This statue holds such mighty power – I never would have believed that one day I would live to see it with my own eyes."

"That still doesn't explain how we're going to put the potion inside it!"

Angelica opened her palm. Thomas planted the bottle in her awaiting hand. The mermaid surveyed the amulet, looking for somewhere to insert it. She reached out to touch it, hoping to find a secret compartment. The eye of the fish started glowing ruby red. Angelica withdrew her hand, unsure what had just happened.

The jewel in the statue's eye-socket slowly disappeared, leaving a hole big enough for Angelica to pour the liquid inside. She placed the container as near to the opening as possible, before speedily popping off the lid and shoving its contents inside.

Tom could feel intense, overwhelming magic emanating from the statue. Even Lexi's tentacles twitched slightly as the glamour fused itself into the heart of the amulet.

As soon as the potion had run out, Angelica removed the vial. All of a sudden, there was a tremendous flash. Both onlookers covered their eyes.

When the glare had died down, Tom moved his hand away from his face to see the statue and the platform had vanished as mystifyingly as they had arrived, leaving only a luminous blue circle upon the floor.

"I am so glad that's over," he said in relief.

It was then he caught ear of a horribly familiar chuckle coming from behind him.

"Varg!" he cried, swivelling round to see a shark hovering several metres away from him, who promptly morphed into the Prince of Nekron.

"We meet again, Tom Clarke," sneered the Nekross, "This time there is no escape. The Nekross shall feast on you and your delicious magic!" It was then he caught sight of his unconscious sister lying on the sand. "What have you done with her?!"

"I haven't done anything, I swear!"

Varg lunged for him. Tom dived out of the way, but he couldn't stop the prince from grappling one of his legs.

"Do not attempt to defy me! I will not rest until I see every last drop of your magic sucked from your very bones."

"Varg!" yelled Angelica, "If there is one thing I have learned today, it is that there is always a way out."

"What…is this _noise!?_" Varg clutched his head. It appeared he'd finally realised his opponents weren't communicating in their usual manner.

Angelica winked at Tom. She whispered a series of magical words deep inside her mind.

_SNAP!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm glad to see this story has gone down so well. Now, onto the final chapter...**

Chapter Five

Suddenly, Tom found himself in the Chamber of Crowe.

He was about to ask Angelica what spell she had performed when he realised that actually he couldn't breathe.

"Oh dear," whispered Ursula, who had just spotted him, "This is always the hardest bit…"

She rushed out from behind the potion table and gave him a mighty thump on the back. Tom spewed a stream of water all over the Chamber floor. Randal Moon grimaced, knowing he would be the one to mop it up later…

…

Dad and Benny were sat in the lounge area, and had made the most of the time Tom was busy on his deep sea mission conversing about important matters such as schoolwork and career opportunities. Benny loved his own dad dearly, but sometimes he was very assertive, and when he tried to chat with him about his future it was eventually Mr Sherwood who did the talking.

Michael Clarke was very easy-going and happily told him all about his progression to become a qualified vet, including how he got into university and the first time he applied for a job. He was just about to start cooking the tea when a very wet Tom Clarke trudged into the hallway.

"Oh boy…" he whispered, shaking the water from his bedraggled hair, "That was some adventure."

"What did you see down there?" asked an enthusiastic Benny, "Did you know that coral reefs are held together by calcium carbonate emitted by the corals themselves?"

"Yeah…I bet…" Tom turned to his father. "Dad? There's someone I would like you to meet."

Michael caught sight of the teenage girl stepping through the kitchen doorway, examining her surroundings engrossedly. Granny was close behind.

"Who is this?" Dad hissed, as Angelica meandered over to the lounge area.

"The young girl we rescued from the Nekross," replied Ursula, "She tried to repay us by following Thomas into the Fijian archipelago to help him find the amulet – a benevolent but foolish idea. I can only thank the Source that the pair of you made it out alive."

"You have so much space," marvelled Angelica.

"I hope this doesn't mean she'll have to stay with us until we can find some way of shipping her back to the Philippines," whispered Mr Clarke to his mother-in-law.

"Don't worry about that, Michael," responded Gran, "Moon will send her home with a passing charm when she has finished looking round the house. When that's dealt with, we will have to issue warnings to all other Netherside creatures living on the Dayside. If our glamour potion works, I'm certain they can use it as well."

The mermaid was now studying the TV set. "Wow! This is amazing! You have a television!"

Tom realised then that he had rather a lot of things to be grateful for - not just his home or his possessions or his space but his loving family and friends who were always there for him just when he needed them.

…

Varg materialised onto the transporter pad, carrying his little sister in his arms.

"Escort her to the infirmary," he ordered, placing Lexi in the arms of one of the guards.

"Did you manage to acquire the desired source of magic, my most Exquisite Excellency?" enquired Technician Jathro 15.

Varg removed his mask. "No – the wizard halfling has yet again escaped my clutches."

"How unfortunate, my Excellency!"

Varg growled. "_This is an outrage!_ I – the Prince of Nekron – have yet again been outwitted by a mere half-form!" He snarled in disgust. "Father will not be pleased."

As he made his way out of the transporter room, a smile crept over Technician 15's face. As soon as the prince was out of sight, he leant over the console and pressed a few keys.

"Jathro to control…Jathro to control."

"_What is it, Jathro?_" responded a mysterious female voice.

"The princess' latest plan has turned out to be defective. Also, it appears Tom Clarke has yet again defied the cunning of Prince Varg. This may be of some assistance in our strategy."

"_Indeed, Jathro. It will soon be time for us to unleash our revenge…_"

THE END


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